Amarillo, Potter County | featured news

A Pampa Independent School District teacher has resigned amid an investigation into an inappropriate relationship with student.
Tanya Larkin, Pampa ISD’s superintendent, released a statement Saturday saying that ISD officials had received a report of alleged misconduct between a teacher and a student, and that the district has notified law enforcement and “other appropriate authorities.” Larkin said the school is cooperating with the investigation.

Students paying closer attention to their peers’ struggles and getting involved have made a world of difference at Bushland High School, said Brandi Knoll, special needs coordinator.
They’re called Falcon Friends, and on Friday they escorted their peers from the special needs class around the Tri-State Fairgrounds — visiting exhibits, experiencing the unique flavors of fair food, spending time at livestock competitions and going to the petting zoo.

Texas Panhandle voters are set to vote in potential record numbers.
“Randall County is at an all-time high,” said Randall County Election Administrator Shannon Lackey.
“We have a lot of people that have attended our training and become volunteer county registrars,” she said.
“There’s also a lot of interest amongst the public.” Lackey said. “There are a lot of voters that only vote every four years. Randall County as a whole is growing, and a lot of our numbers simply reflect the total population increase in the county.”

Amarillo-based Maxor National Pharmacy Services Corp. has announced an agreement to acquire Athens, Georgia-based Pharmaceutical Specialties Inc. for an undisclosed amount.
The transaction is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter this year.

Amarillo entrepreneur Justin Howe has several successful local businesses in his portfolio already, and his next planned venue is to open the first Dickey’s Barbecue Pit in the Texas Panhandle.
The business undertaking is called Amarillo Barbecue Investment Group, which is shooting for a March 1 opening.
Dickey’s Barbecue Pit is currently under construction in the new Winpark Place strip center near Hillside Road and South Bell Street.

Former Baylor University President Ken Starr pushed back Saturday against the notion that the school — or its athletic department — has systemic problems handling sexual assault investigations, and called for release of more details of the independent investigation that concluded otherwise.
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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Obama administration has proposed barring states and other recipients of federal family planning grants from placing their own eligibility restrictions on where the money can go, which would undermine the efforts of 13 Republican-led states to prevent such money from going to Planned Parenthood.
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After eight days and countless corn dogs, bags of cotton candy and spins on the rides, the Amarillo Tri-State Fair & Rodeo will wrap up its 2016 run on Saturday.
The event — which attracts roughly 130,000 visitors each year, according to the fair’s website — has been a success in the eyes of management, vendors and visitors.
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Bell Textron has unveiled a new high-tech tiltrotor unmanned drone that will be capable of operating from ships at sea, and Bell said the newly designed aircraft will be able to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance over a wide target area around the clock for days on end.
Bell has not yet determined where the V-247 Vigilant tiltrotor will be built, but it’s possible the new unmanned aerial system could be manufactured in Amarillo. Bell’s primary tiltrotor program has been based here at Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport.

School officials are taking action after a “fiesta-themed” pep rally at Amarillo High School stirred up strong emotions in the local community and became an overnight topic of conversation on social media.
Ahead of a Thursday night football game against Caprock High School, traditionally a predominantly Hispanic school, students from Amarillo High held an assembly that included a tortilla-eating contest.
A firestorm ignited on social media, where claims circulated about students throwing tortillas at the pep rally and at the football game at Dick Bivins Stadium.